HOW TO FIND WILD ANIMALS AT BEACH RESORTS

What is a wild-man to do?

For those of you who do not already know, @papa-pepper is staying at a condo on the shores of Lake Michigan in Door County, WI this week. It is very hard to not be at home moving forward with tending my animals and working on the land, but it is also a much needed break, as I was certainly exhausting myself.

Since we are also staying here with @grandpa-pepper and my mom, as well as my brothers and their families, a lot of great family time and memory-making opportunities are being enjoyed… however, part of me still misses the wild.

Here is a photo me standing outside of the condo. It is three stories high and is just a few hundred feet (if not less) from the beach. The beach is nice and sandy, and the water is pretty much crystal clear. For the most part though, the beach is devoid of life, other than seagulls.

To add to the situation, the rooms look like this one. They are nice, big, and clean, but there is only so much sitting on an expensive sofa that I can take.

Thankfully, I have decade’s worth of wild-man understanding and insight, as you can clearly see in this video.

HOW TO FIND ANIMALS AT RESORT BEACHES

MY SOLUTION

Often, very close to fantastic sandy beaches is some sort of swampy or marshy area. This is where the water is warmer, the plants are more plentiful, and the wild-life loves to hide and thrive. A sandy beach with little or no cover is not good habitat for many creatures, but these areas are.

Another bonus is that few humans go places like this. This means that the animals there can be checked out and interacted with without having a lot of competition.

This tiny Masked Shrew was found out here in the swamp. You won’t find it running around out in the open on the beach.

This little tree frog also calls this marshy area home. The Garter Snake was also captured in this area, as well as a few other snakes and several other creatures.

CLOSER

Even when you are faced with trying situations like spending time at a fantastic condo or a pristine beach, the adventures of the wild can still be round just around the corner, if you know where to look.

I cannot even tell you how many times I have stepped just a few feet off of a crowded beach and caught many interesting creatures that usually never make it out in the open. Bewildered and curious, small crowds often form and the same question gets repeated over and over…

Where did you find that?

My answer is usually the same, “About thirty feet that way.”

As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:

proof-of-wild-animal-at-resort-beach